With another year of gaming coming to a close and the holiday season fast approaching, along with itcomes the awards season, where we heap praise upon the most popular and impressive games of the year.
8 JRPG Flops That Deserve A Second Chance
Just because a JRPG is good doesn’t mean it will suceed. At least the first time.
It’s a chance to celebrate the success stories, compare the year’s greats, and crown one of them the best of the bunch. But, one thing you won’t get at any awards show is a ‘worst of the bunch’ award.
I can only imagine it’s because it’s just a little too mean. But being the cynical curmudgeon that I am, I have no problem being the bad guy and looking back in anger at the year’s flops.
There have been as many stinkers as there have been superstars, and as you try and decide what games you want to put on your gift list this holiday season, I aim to warn you about the games that simply don’t warrant playing and serve as the biggest disappointments of 2024.
10Broken Roads
A Truly Broken Road
Broken Roads
We kick things off with a game that I was personally dying to get my hands on, mainly due to my undying love for Disco Elysium.
Broken Roads is a game that wears that love of Disco Elysium on its sleeve; as you can see, theCRPG indie masterpieceserves as a framework and inspiration for this title. But sadly, this post-apocalyptic Aussie outback RPG never gets going, offering a disjointed and, ironically, broken experience.
The choices the player makes throughout have no real weight to them, the personality system, while seeming complex on the surface, offers no substance or emergent experiences,and the turn-based combatis about as bare-bones as it gets.
Combine this with all the technical issues the game still has, and you have a game that looks like a Disco Elysium spiritual successor, but it’s anything but in reality.
9Deathbound
A Slow, Painful Death
Deathbound
As someone who loves FromSoftware andPlucky Souls-likes alike,I do my best to give any developer brave enough to emulate the FromSoft formula a lot of credit. But, that good favor can only extend so far, and in the case of Deathbound, it was pushed beyond breaking point.
Deathbound, to its credit, has an interesting world and a compelling story to tell. The only problem is that the gameplay is so poor you would need the patience of a saint to witness it.
The combat is clunky and unbalanced, with choppy animations leading to endless cheap deaths. The character-switching system lacks fluidity, making using it a burden, but equally, it’s a core mechanic essential for progression.
Plus, the bosses are so poorly designed that, if you don’t find a way to cheese and exploit them, you simply won’t win. It’s a Souls-Like that simply doesn’t understand the core principles that make a Souls-Like successful and enjoyable and serves as one of the worst games of the year.
8Open Roads
Should’ve Stayed At Home
Open Roads
When it comes to games under the Annapurna umbrella, you can pretty much bank on the game having a strong art-style, a star-studded cast, and a compelling story.
So when Open Roads came along, many justifiably assumed this would be another story-driven hit akin to past successes likeGone Home, If Found, or Florence. But, in the end, this one ended up feeling incredibly shallow.
Despite having vocal performances by the likes of Kaitlin Deever, and a striking 2D/3D mesh art-style, the core pillar of this game, the story, was deeply underwhelming.
The characters lacked depth, the story lacked memorable moments, everything felt a little too convenient.
Which all culminated in what can only be described as the gaming equivalent of a Hallmark movie, and anyone that has one of those will know, that’s nothing worth celebrating.
7Star Wars: Outlaws
Non-Descript Rogue
Star Wars Outlaws
Perhaps this one will feel a little bit harsh, as some Star Wars fans tell me that this game has a lot of redeeming qualities. But I think the fact that the Star Wars fanatics have had to come out in support of this one at all proves that this is a rather unsuccessful outing.
In recent years, Star Wars games have been a consistent source of solid experiences, with titles like Jedi Survivor and LEGO Star Wars being prime examples. But Outlaws, courtesy of Ubisoft’s bloated and tired open-world model, fails to follow that trend.
The game was released with rather underwhelming visuals and character models and varied gameplay with lots of ideas, none of which were implemented well,including instant fail stealth sections.
Plus, the Star Wars cardinal sin, a protagonist that just isn’t interesting in the slightest. I would also agree that Star Wars Outlaws has its moments, but you can’t deny that it’s far from the world-beater that many thought it would be.
6South Park: Snow Day
Out In The Cold
South Park: Snow Day!
As far as South Park games go, it’s been a mixed bag down the years, to say the least. But thanks to the success of The Stick of Truth, and to a lesser extent, The Fractured But Whole, the gaming community had come to expect big things from the satirical series.
But it seems that South Park games have reverted to type, as the latest outing, Snow Day, is reminiscent of the brutally bad South Park games made decades ago.
This game took big swings, such as switching to a 3D format, but every one of them acted as another nail in the coffin. The story was laughably short for the price tag.
The combat was limp and lifeless, the quests and mechanics all felt half-baked and boring, and worst of all, for a South Park game. It just isn’t funny.
It was a departure from the 2D RPG model that fans adored, and for the life of us, we just can’t understand who signed off on this.
5Funko Fusion
LEGO This Is Not
Funko Fusion
If there’s one thing most casual gamers can get behind, it’s a LEGO game. Due to the simple and accessible model, the use of successful IPs, and the blend of witty and slapstick humor, both kids and adults alike can get a lot out of these games.
So, it seemed for all the world like Funko Fusion would be a shoo-in for success. Using a similar gameplay model and boasting a huge array of recognizable characters in Funko form, it seemed like a nailed-on family-friendly hit.
Well, simply put, it was a swing and a miss. The game feels like an off-brand LEGO game in all the worst ways, failing to understand what made those titles successful in the first place.
The game was rife with technical issues, the combat and puzzles felt obtuse and way too difficult to be deemed family-friendly, and it was a deeply repetitive experience.
It remains a broken mess to this day, and chances are it will remain that way, so don’t be lured in by the cute little Funko faces.
4LEGO Horizon Adventures
Horizon Zero Fun
LEGO Horizon Adventures
Speaking of LEGO games, you would think that with all that praise I just heaped upon them, they would be safe from this list, but somehow, they have conspired to end up here anyway.
It’s rather shocking considering how strong the Horizon IP is, but despite the cool characters, amazing world, and awesome story at their disposal, LEGO Horizon Adventures is a lukewarm and borderline patronizing experience.
10 Games That Started Their Own Genre
If it weren’t for games like Rogue and Super Metroid, gaming wouldn’t have nearly the massive breadth of genres it does.
Despite some funny moments and some lingering fun factor from LEGO games of old, this game fails to achieve those lofty heights. This is mainly due to overly simplified puzzles and combat, along with an infantile take on the memorable story of Zero Dawn.
It’s a LEGO game that goes through the motions and runs incredibly short into the bargain, making it one that long-time fans of these games should avoid at all costs.
3Alone In The Dark
Another Dark Day For The Series
Alone in the Dark
It’s been sad to witness the downfall of the Alone in the Dark series since, because this game used to be areal titan of the survival horror genre, rivaling the likes of Resident Evil.
However, due to some wonky modern entries, the seriesdesperately needed a new start. Which it seemed for all the world like this soft reboot would be, but in the end, it seems like this was the confirmation that this series has had its day in the sun.
It’s a game that, despite having a strong cast and a somewhat interesting story, has little else to offer. Combat feels awkward, but not in an intentional survival horror way, the puzzles feel obtuse and poorly designed, and generally speaking, the game feels short of ideas, often feeling like a vague imitation of what already exists within the horror scene.
It was a reboot that really needed to deliver if this series was destined to survive, but alas, Alone in the Dark will have to dine out on past successes, as the modern era has been a trainwreck for this IP.
2Skull and Bones
Not So Jolly Roger
Skull and Bones
We rarely see Ubisoft take on an original IP, let alone one that would genuinely excite gamers everywhere. But when I heard that they were taking on a swashbuckling pirate title to rival the likes of Sea of Thieves, I was quietly optimistic.
After all, many people still celebrate Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag asone of the finest high-seas adventures of all time. So, if anything, they have some pedigree in that department. But, if you had only ever played Skull and Bones, you’d never believe it.
The sad thing is that the battles at sea actually live up to the hype. The problem, however, is that this gameplay is made to exist in a live service model, making everything feel like a dull, repetitive slog.
The quests are boring, the story is unengaging, the core mechanics when not engaging in high-sea skirmishes are tedious, and all in all, it’s a good concept over commercialized to the point of no return.
They Cut The Cord
When it comes to 2024 flops, no game can quite match the car crash that was Concord.
Despite being developed for years, having a budget beyond comprehension, and having Bungie alumni at the wheel, this game launched and closed its servers in just over two weeks. Making thisone the quickest and most painful live service failure of all time. Unless we are counting The Day Before.
While the game was far from the worst hero-shooter out there, it also didn’t offer anything new and exciting to the genre. Proving in the most dramatic fashion that if you aren’t a smash hit in the live service space, then you’re destined for tragic failure, as there is no middle ground.
There was simply no room for this shooter, with Overwatch and Valorant holding down the fort, and due to this, Concord stands as perhaps Sony’s biggest financial failure of all time.
If that doesn’t justify the label of ‘flop of the year’ I don’t know what does.
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